Electric bike: Plenty of pep in those pedals

May 16, 2013

Updated Aug. 21, 2013 1:17 p.m.

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Bicycle maker Specialized sells 400,000 bikes annually in the U.S. It will build just a few hundred Turbos for the U.S. market in 2013. The Turbo is the California company's first electric bicycle. KETCHUM

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The Specialized Turbo is outfitted with a 250-watt electric motor in its rear wheel hub. KETCHUM

The Specialized Turbo is a 10-speed electric bicycle that can travel up to 27.9 mph when assisted by its motor. KETCHUM

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The alloy frame of the Specialized Turbo is chunky, but the power kicks in efficiently. KETCHUM

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The Turbo electric bicycle from Specialized can travel up to 27.9 mph assisted with a 250-watt motor in its rear wheel hub. The Turbo costs $5,900 and is available through dealers that sell other Specialized bicycles. KETCHUM

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The Specialized Turbo electric bicycle is powered with a 250-watt motor in its rear wheel hub and a 342-watt-hour lithium ion battery pack that nestles into its down tube. KETCHUM

Bicycle maker Specialized sells 400,000 bikes annually in the U.S. It will build just a few hundred Turbos for the U.S. market in 2013. The Turbo is the California company's first electric bicycle.KETCHUM

Few activities are less alluring on a 100-degree day than bicycling. There's something about the pedaling, the sun, the sweating that just does not appeal, especially if the bicycling is toward work.

But this past Monday I willingly took a 23-mile ride in the heat knowing it would be the bicycle, not me, doing the heavy lifting. I was testing the Specialized Turbo.

Monday was hotter than a deep fryer in the Gobi Desert at lunchtime (that's very hot, if you're wondering), but the first electric from the popular Northern California bike maker can travel up to 28 mph with little exertion.

I twisted the key, pressed the start button, hopped on board and spun the pedals, quickly spooling me to a speed that prompted stares from more than a few cars. How, their eyes seemed to ask, could something so chubby move so fast?

That's a question best answered by defensive tackle Warren Sapp, to whom I do not have access. But there's something similar in the power-to-weight ratio of the Specialized e-bike, which tips the scales at 50 pounds but moves about as fast as a 50 cc scooter.

The first indication that the Turbo isn't your average Specialized is its bulk. The alloy frame is chunky throughout, not only to accommodate the cylindrical lithium-ion battery that nestles into the down tube but the increased weight of its drive train. Its back wheel is outfitted with a 250-watt hub motor that delivers power directly to the wheel far more effectively than many other 250-watt bikes I've tested in recent years.

The power only kicks in when the bike is pedaled, however. Many other electric bikes are operated with throttles that negate the need for spinning, or a toggle that lets riders switch between pedal-assisted and throttle modes.

Being motorized only when pedaled has a major benefit. It enables the Turbo to skirt federal regulations that restrict throttle-operated electric bicycles to 20 mph – with gearing to match. Try going any faster on a 20-mph electric and you'll just look like the Wicked Witch of the West.

The Turbo has 10 gears that are operated with a single-shift lever on the right grip. I spent most of my riding in ninth and 10th gears, even on moderate inclines and pulling away from complete stops, where the slightest push of the pedals activated the motor.

The only time I shifted into first was tackling a steep, mile-long hill, which was also the only time I longed for a car.

The level of motorized assistance can be adjusted with a button on the right grip that's more difficult to use than it should be. My preferred mode was full power, or, as it reads in a microscopic graphic on the digital gauge mounted to the bike's handlebar, lightning bolt, which made me feel like I was being pushed by an invisible hand. A flower represents the more energy-conserving eco, a level of assist available to those who like to mix their bicycling with exercise.

During my lengthiest trip on the bike, I rode 13.6 miles at an average speed of 16.6 mph using just half of the battery's power. I returned home with 15 percent of my charge remaining, having traveled 23 miles. The Turbo is capable of riding all-out at full power for 60 minutes.

Its hydraulic Magura brakes only add to its longevity. Not only are they effective at clamping down on 180 mm disc rotors, they capture the bike's kinetic energy and regenerate power to the battery.

The bike fully recharges from zero in 21/2 hours using a charger that plugs into the same 110-volt outlet that accommodates coffee makers.

With the power off, riding the Turbo isn't horrible. It feels like it's packing a lead brick, but the bike is well-balanced enough that a rider who ran out of charge could still pedal it, unlike, say, a 150-pound moped with an engine.

Purpose-built as an electric, the Turbo isn't based on an existing Specialized bicycle. But it does feature some road bike attributes that could use some finessing. The stock seat offers all the comfort of a plank. And its suspension is, in a word, non-existent. All it took was a few rough roads to make me feel shorter.

At $5,900, the Turbo is expensive for an electric bicycle but not for a Specialized, whose more race-oriented, carbon-fiber models sell for prices competitive with cars.

For Turbo levels of cash, customers could buy an entry-level motorcycle and travel at three times the speed. But they'd also have to pay for gas, insurance and registration – none of which are needed with the Turbo, legally classified as a bicycle.

Specialized is making just a few hundred Turbos for the U.S. market this year as it tests the e-bike market. Chances are, they will sell as quickly as this bike can move. Turbo? Indeed.

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